Right, I've finished
Brave Police J-Decker, time for a small writeup.
Remember how I said it could be my favourite Brave series so far? It sure is, and it totally deserved it. Even if you're not a real fan of Super Robot anime, it's worth a watch.
Whereas GaoGaiGar had focused on one's courage, be it human or robot, J-Decker focuses on one's heart and Super A.I. development. Each major character has a unique personality and you can't help but love some of them. The more you watch the show the more insight you get with them, personally I got really attached to some.
It starts off slow, with each character getting a spotlight episode, but things get really serious in the second half. Subject matter can be surprisingly adult for a kid's show, some episodes are downright tear-jerking, while others make you think about what somebody is and the validity of one's existence. To be balance it out some episodes are downright silly and comedic.
One of the better things is that full combining sequences are used sparingly, especially in the second half. To save screen time and keep the pace of action up, the robots either show up on the scene fully combined or combine instantly after the command's been given. Highlights:
- Easter Eggs galore! You'll find lots of reused Brave designs, and others from popular culture if you look close enough.
- Combining is similar in nature to GaoGaiGar, in that the robots must have a certain state of mind for the combination to succeed. Thus, first combos are bound to fail.
- One episode features a giant panda, I mean a GIANT panda. Of course, the "don't hurt the panda" rule applies, so... He's so cute!
- The boy crossdressing as a girl in one episode... Yes, he's a boy.
- The final 3 episodes make a lot of unexpected turns in the plot, yet don't crash and burn.
In short, this entry in the Brave series is tamer than others, but makes up for it with character and heart. Again, if you choose to skip it you do it at your own risk.